Okay, so it’s not like I had nothing. My boyfriend and best friend both go to VCU, so I really had everything I needed, but it was a spur of the moment decision that was so completely out of character for me.
Recently after joining a sorority and enduring my 17 credit semesters, I’ve had about every moment of my life until summer planned out. I look at my Google Calendar compulsively, and I like to see the colored blocks of time that show me what my life will look like. Instead of sticking to the four hour pale pink time block labeled “Ronald McDonald House Charities Dinner” and traveling safely back to Christopher Newport University, I had a conversation with some of my friends.
I was telling some of my friends how I felt dumb for not planning ahead and packing a bag so I could stay in Richmond, and they just asked me so simply why I couldn’t just stay and make it work in my sweatshirt and rain coat. For a minute, I stuttered, sure that it wasn’t actually a possibility. Then I started thinking. With all of my weekends booked up until finals, I really could use a fun little unplanned trip, and plus the dinner I was preparing was my only real responsibility until Sunday afternoon. I sent a few quick texts to my boyfriend and he agreed that he wanted to see me and have me stay the weekend. I then sent a text to my mom because even as an impulsive teen, I needed the mom seal of approval which came in the form of “I guess it’s ok. Are you there now?” And an “Ok lol”. After that, our dinner was served, and one of my friends dropped me off at my boyfriend’s dorm at VCU. I walked in and handed my ID to the front desk assistant, and kept walking with the only extra item I brought with me being the chapstick I keep in my pocket.
I recognize also that I am blessed to be able to make a decision as quick and easy as I made the decision to stay with the people I love in Richmond. I am by no means made of money, but with the money that I made this past summer working at my job, I could afford the Greyhound bus back to CNU and the Uber from the Greyhound station back to campus. Because I didn’t plan ahead, though, the fare was much more expensive than usual and so I was budgeting while at Richmond too, which can be a hassle in and of itself, but luckily with two friends who have meal plans I was able to mooch quite generously. On top of that, my boyfriend and I didn’t go on a date where we would have to pay, and instead took the $3 bus from campus to a free park and back and we were able to connect and enjoy our time together outside just adventuring and exploring the beautiful park.
I’m not going to pretend that this one trip changed my life, but I am going to tell you that this capricious experience gave me a sense of thrill and delight that I haven’t felt in a long time. Of course I love a planned visit to see my friends, but being young and impulsive as a contrast to my color blocked life showed me that numbers and timetables aren’t all that life’s supposed to be. Sometimes, the unplanned adventures can be the best ones.